Log hoist



faune a, 1924. 1,496,738

Frank EMM 'y erg@ J. POWELL ET An.

LOG HOIST Filed Sept. l2, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 wrm 19mm "we AJune 3 l J. POWELL ET Al.

LOG' HOIST Filed sept. 12, 1923 Pou/elli@ v Patented `lune 3, i924.

"FFI'CE, n

JOHN POWELL AND FRANK EVANS, 0E FEREIDAY, LoUIlsfIAN'A;

ILOG I-IOIST.

Application led September 12, 1923. Serial No. '662,300.

exact description of the` invention, such as` will enable others 'skilled in the' art to which it appertains, to make and use thesame.

The present invention relates toimprovef ments in log hoists and consists in theconstructions,V combinations and arrangements herein described andclaimed.

Objects'of'the invention are to'improve hoists for ltheraising of logs in which ease `in Vhandling great quantities of logswill result at an expenditure of a small amount oit' labor, in providing a machine which will not be apt to get out of'order and@A which will enjoy an unusual freedom from repairs. In the drawings, wherein likeA symbols refer to like or corresponding-parts throughout the several views Figure lis a top plan view ofthe log hoist constructed according to the present invention. y

Figure 2 is a side' view thereof. Figure 3 isa plan viewon an enlarged scale oft-he tongs or grapple.

Figure 4 isa side view of the same with the jaws in the initiall position, and

Figure 5 `is` a similar view showing'the jaws or hooks extended.

Referring` more particularly to the drawings 6 designates generally a foundation upon which the device is erectedV and 7designa-tes a turn table lmounted for rotary movement on the base 6 and having rollers 8 to support it for this rotary'movem'ent.

Amast 9 ssupported eccentrically upon the turn table 7 and at preferablya slight backward inclination and a boom 10 is pivotallysupported as'at 11 nea'rthe base of the mast. The boom 10 extends out wardly diagonally and is provided with guide'grooves 12 along its sides into which portions of a carriage 13 extendsand are guided vin the longitudinal movement ofthe carriage along the boom.

The boom' is adapted to be raised and lowered and the carriage to be adjusted alongfthe boomvand the lcarriag'ge supports the-tongs yor grapple andappropriate means is provided forv the raisingandlowering of theftong's and grapple Vand for openingand closing the grapple hooks Qr ja ws. Of course the mast V9will besupportedby suittabl@ sur Wires and there may beacon-a MOtion. between, the top ofv the/mest and the, tori 0f the' boom for4 restricting the downward swinging lmovement of thev boom but these Yguy wires andl connections are not illustrated as the same would4 interfere with aproper illustration 'of the other features Gfthdeve- Uponthe rotary platform 7 are anumber ofdrums 141, 15, 16,16 17 and18, these drums being supported for rotary; movement inan appropriate frame 19, andfhaving cranks `2() by which they may be manuallv rotated to wind or slackel; the cables are engaged about the same. The drums will be provided vwith ratchet mechanism to hold'same against rotation. Now the uppermost drum, 14 is providedv with the cable 21 which'V extends upwardlythrough guide arm 22 extending from aguidecollar Qlwhich surrounds and which isaffixed' to the mast 9,.V The cable 21 extends up to the top ofthe mast and over idlers Qtby which it is directed substantially hori- Zontally along t0 the outer end of the-boom 10 which is also providedwith idlers 25 at its corner'portions in order to guide the cable about the under side of the '-boom. The4 free end of the cable is aixedin an eye or other fastening 26 carriedby the upper endof the carriagefl. By winding the cable 21 upon the drum 111 the vcarriage 1 8 is raised or pulled-4 outwardly upon the-boom 10. fj

A second drum 15 is wound with a cable 27 also passing' up through an eyejin the guide arm 22 to the intermediate point upon'the mast 9 Awhere it is directed horizontally by 'means ofthe double pairs .of guide rollers 28 and 29 to theopposite side of said mast where it iscontinued upwardly in substantial parallelismY with the mast to an idler 3 0 about which it'isvtrained, being thence carried horizontally orsubstan-- tially'sof'toV a similar idler 31 aiixed near the outer end 'of the boom 10x and to the Yofthe idler 30. By winding the cable 27 upon the drum 15 theboom 10 is raised angularly as required. v

Taking up the next drums 16 andV 16 which are half drums or divided drums on the same plane, these are provided with a pair of cables 33 and 34 shown best in Figure 1, these cables being wound in reverse directions upon the drums so that the rotation of one drum will act to wind andunwind one cable and the rotation of the other drum to ti hten and slacken the other cable.

r1hese ca les 33 and 34 extend up to and through a pair of eyelets 35 carried by a collar 36 clamped upon the mast 9 beneath the collar 23, the eyes 35 being upon opposite sides of the mast as shown in Figure 1 for drawing the cables to opposite sides of said mast and to the eyelets 37 carried upon opposite sides of the boom 10 near its lower end. F rom this point the cables 33 and 34 diverge to the outer ends of the tongs or grapple frame to which they are affixed as indicated at 38 and 39. By turning the drums 16 and 16 in one direction the tongs or grapple frame may be rotated in a horizontal plane and by reversing the direction of rotation of the drums 16 and 16 a corresponding reversal in the direction of rotation of the tongs or grapple frame may be eected.

Y rEhe drum 17 is provided with the cable 40 extending through a slot in the mast as indicated at 41 or through a slot in a guide secured to the mast. The cable vextends up in parallelism with the under side of the boom 10 to and about a guide roller 42 mounted in the carriage 13. The cable is thence directed downwardly to an eye or ring 43 to which a pair of branch cables 44 and 45 are attached diverging from the ring to opposite ends of the tongs and being passed respectively through idlers 46 and 47, having their lower runs extending toward one another or centrally and being affixed to movable blocks 48 and 49 to which the substantially semicircular grapple hooks 50 and 51 are attached as by central pivoting` at 52 and 53. The lower ends of the semicircular hooks are sharpened or pointed for engagement with the ends of the log or the like, While the upper ends of the hooks are provided with eyes to receive the lower ends of the branch cables 54 and 55 being secured in common at their upper ends to the ring 56 suspended from the idler pulley frame This idler frame carries the pulley 58 through which is reaved a cable 59. The free end of the cable 59 is affixed to the eye 60 carried by the lower intermediate part of the carriage 13. vrfhe cable also runs over the idler 61 carried by the lower end of the carriage 13 and from this point the cable 59 extends along parallel with the cable 40 and to and through a slot 62 made in the base of the mast or a guide secured to the mast, said cable 59 being wound about the drum 18 last in line.

1n operation the tongs or grapples are brought to an appropriate position for engaging the log by the pivotal movement of the boom 10 which is accomplished as above described by the winding or unwinding of the cable 27 in relation to the drum 15 and furthermore by the adjustment of the carriage 13 upon the boom 10 which is achieved as heretofore described by use of the cable 21 in connection with its drum 14. 1n accordance with the disposition of the log to be lifted, the grapple drum must be turned more or less in one direction or another for the purpose of bringing the grapple hoolrs into position to engage such ends of the logs and for this purpose the intermediate drums 16 and 16 are rotated in the one or other direction. The grapple frame is then lowered by unwinding both the drums 1'? and 18 and the hooks 50 and 51. are separated by this same movement. 1n grappling a log the cable 59 is wound upon the drum 18 which draws the two hooks together upon the log at the same time tends to lift the log together with the frame. The other drum 17 is moved to slack its cable. r1`he boom may be then swung by rotating the turn table while the log is held elevated Yuntil the destination of the log is reached whereupon the cable 59 is slackened oft' the drum and the cable 40 is wound so as to draw the grapple hooks 50 and 51 apart.

With the construction as described it will be apparent that grapple frames may be made to undergo a great variety of movement necessary to bring the same quickly into a most convenient position for engaging the log and that the log may be delivered quickly to its destination, there released the mechanism restored without delay for the lifting and transporting of subsequent logs. The machine will act to both load and unload the logs or other similar articles. y

1t is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only bythe scope of the following claims lhat is claimed is 1. A. grapple construction comprising a slotted frame, blocks slidably mounted. in the slot in the frame, means for simultaneously drawing the blocks away from one another, hooks pivoted at an intermediate point to the movable blocks, and means attached to the upper portions of the hooks for releasing the hooks and at the same time drawing the blocks toward one another.

2. A grapple construction comprising a frame having fixed end pieces and sepa-rated side bars, blocks fitted to slide longitudinally on said side bars toward and from the end pieces, means associated with the end pieces for drawing the blocks outwardly toward said end pieces, a pair of hooks of semioireular form pvoted at substantially their eentral portions to the inner edges of the blocks and adapted to swing toward and away from one another, the lower ends of said hooks adapted to grasp a log, and means coupled in common to the upper ends of said hooks and at the same time rocking the hooks about their pivoted point on the blocks to withdraw the lower ends from the log and to pull the blocks inwardly toward the center of the frame.

JOHN POWELL. FRANK EVANS. 

